Plastics industry gives $500k to stop Seattle bag tax

A trade group representing plastic manufacturers has given $500,000 to the effort to defeat an Aug. 18 ballot measure that would impost a 20-cent tax on disposable plastic and paper grocery bags.

The July 17 contribution from the American Chemistry Council to the Coalition to Stop the Seattle Bag Tax was reported in monthly disclosure reports released recently by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission.

In July of 2008 Seattle was one of the first major American cities to discourage the use of paper and plastic shopping bags by requiring grocery, drug and convenience stores to charge 20 cents per bag. The new rule was to take effect Jan. 1, but a coalition funded largely by the American Chemistry Council gathered enough signatures to keep the ordinance from going into effect. That caused the City Council to ultimately ask city residents now they felt about “green” bag fees.

Seattle Pubic Utilities has estimated that 360 million disposable bags are used in the city each year. The 20-cent fee would add a few dollars to weekly grocery bills, but is expected to cut the number of bags used by half.

Proponents of the bag fee say similar programs in Ireland have cut plastic and paper bag use by 90 percent. But critics say the fee is unnecessary and just one more tax placed on a tax-weary Seattle populace.

Recent polling suggests a majority of people in Seattle oppose the Aug. 18 ballot measure.

The Coalition to Stop The Seattle Bag Tax has now raised about $750,000. It spent about $239,000 to gather signatures to put the bag fee question before voters.